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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · prune · pit · present · net · scale · game · can

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — a match
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — to be able to
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pit — a hole
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — for catching
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com